Refrigerator



H. M. TARRAS,

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 19x9.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. M. TARHAS.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21. 1919.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- 392 awumdoz NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY M. TARRAS, 0F TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TOROBERT JOHN GASKIN, 0F TORONTO, CANADA.

rtnrarenanron.

Application filed June 27, 1919.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY M. TARRAs, asubject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Toronto, in theProvince of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Refrigerators, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to refrigerators, and particularly to icelessrefrigerators which are rendered cool by evaporation of water.

The object of the invention is to so construct a refrigerator of thischaracter that after its initial cost there is no expense incidental toits operation.

Another object is to provide a device of this character in the form of acabinet having a maximum surface exposed to evaporation thereby insuringa maximum cooling effect in the cabinet.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combi nation andarrangementof parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a perspective view of arefrigerator constructed in accordance with this invention, with thedoor shown open and the food supporting shelf removed,

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another form of the invention,

Fig. 4; is a central transverse section thereof,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 4,and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail sectional view through the lower portionoft-he door and the tank below it.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the refrigeratorconstituting this invention is constructed in the form of a cabinet 1composed of galvanized iron or other suitable material, and preferablymade airtight throughout, except at its bottom, which is open over itsentire area. is

Specification of Letters Patent.

Tatented Apr. 2% 1920.

Serial No. 307,185.

cabinet is supported on suitable legs 2 of a height sufficient to spacethe bottom of the cabinet from the ground a suitable distance to permitair to pass freely under the cabinet and up through the open bottomthereof. The opening in the bottom is preferablv covered by a foraminousplate 3 composed of any suitable material, preferably of screen wire andwhich is slidable in and out for cleaning and other purposes.

Arranged around the side walls and bad of the cabinet are water tanks 4which extend up any desired height, being here shown about one-third ofthe height of the cabinet, although obviously their size may be varied.The front walls of these tanks 4 have their upper edges grooved as shownat 5 to form seats for shelves, not shown designed to support food andother articles to be placed in the refrigerator. These upper edges arespaced from the walls of the cars ing 1 a suflicient distance to permitthe free passage between them and the casing of the absorbent lining 10presently to be described.

The tanks are equipped with a water inlet in the form of a funnel 6which projects throu h one side wall thereof and at their bottom have anoutlet *4 provided with a controlling valve 8.

.Tandles 9 are shown arranged at opposite sides of the casing 1 forlifting the refrig erator from place to place.

Arranged within the casing 1 is a lining 1O composed of any suitablebibulous or absorbent material, preferably heavy cotton wick looselywoven which is suspende from the center rod 11 equipped with radiatingpins 12 adapted to penetrate the lining to hold it in adjuster.position. This center rod 11 is mounted in the front and rear walls ofthe casing at the top thereof and side rods 13 are arranged at the upperpart of the casing adjacent these s de w s as shown clearly in Fig. 2 sothat the l u 10 will he held in prop-er vertical relation to said sidewalls, the ends of said lin ng passing down between the lips or edges 5of the tanks and the walls of the casing 1 into the tanks 4 where theyare thoroughly saturated with the water ontaine in the tanks and thewater passes up over the lining by capillary attraction. This rod 11 isprovided at it front end with a handle 14: whereby it may be rotatedafter adjusting he lining 10 to position it properly in relation to thetanks and to vary the area presented for evaporation.

Another lining of similar material is arranged at the back of the casingand supported on a rod 16 mounted in the top thereof, the lower end ofsaid lining dipping into the tank at the back of the casing in the samemanner just above described relatively to the lining 10.

A door 17 is hinged to one side of the casing and closes the entirefront thereof, being provided at its lower end with a tank a similar tothe tanks f, the upper edge of which is provided with a grooved edge toform a shelf seat and which is spaced from the door to permit the lowerend of a lining 18 carried by the door to dip into said tank. Thislining 18 is mounted on a rod 19 sup ported at the upper end of door 17on its inner face as is shown clearly in Fig. 1. A handle 20 is carriedby the door and is preferably made in the form of a latch adapted toengage a catch 21 secured to the casing at one side of the door openingas is shown clearly in Fig. 1 and as is usual in apparatus of thischaracter.

From the above description it will be obvious that the casing 1 whichembodies one form of the invention is air-tight througlr out, except atthe bottom, which is open and screened to permit air to enter throughoutand to contact with the saturated linings 10, 15 and 18, thereby causingevaporation and producing a maximum cooling effect within the cabinet sothat a low temperature will be maintained therein and render the cabineteflicacious as a refrigerator.

A water gage 6 is preferably provided on the tank as shown for showingthe depth of water in the tank.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6, a cabinet 21 is shown,similar to the cabinet 1 shown in the other figures, except that thewater tank 24 extends entirely around the lower portion of the cabinetand the door 27 thereof at the front of the cabinet is hinged to theupper edge of the tank to open downwardly as is shown clearly in Fig. 3.This cabinet 21 is supported on suitable legs 22 of a height suflicientto space the bottom of the cabinet from the ground a suitable distanceto permit air to pass freely under the cabinet and a plate 23 is mountedon said legs at a point spaced below the bottom of the tank 24:. Aforaminous covering, preferably of screen wire 25 spans the spacebetween the lower edge of the tank 24c and the plate 23 so as to excludedust, insects and the like from the interior of the refrigerator, andyet permit the free passage of air thereinto.

The tank 24 has the usual filling spout 26, water gage 26, and draincock 28, and the cabinet is equipped at opposite sides with handles as29 to facilitate lifting thereof when it is desired to change itslocation.

The inner wall of the tank 24 is grooved as shown at 24t similar to thetank 4 of the other figures to form seats for shelves, not shown, thetank being open at its upper end inside the refrigerator for the passageinto the tank of the linings or moisture absorbing elements to bedescribed.

The absorbent linings used in connection with this refrigerator are hereshown in the form of endless aprons, one of which is mounted on thedoor-27 and numbered 31 and passes over rollers 30 and 32 carriedrespectively by the door 27 and the front wall of the tank. This apron31 is composed of any suitable absorbent material, preferably heavycotton wick, loosely woven. The roller 32 is ournaled in longitudinallyextending slots 33 or brackets 3 1 carried by the front wall of the tankas is shown clearly in Fig. 6 so that ample space will be provided forthe opening of the door 27, it being understood that the journals of theroller ride up in the slot when the door is opened and under the weightofthe roller drop down when the door is closed.

A pair of parallel rollers 35 and 36 extend from the front to the rearof the top of cabinet 21, being arranged one above the other with theirends journaled in the front and rear walls of the cabinet. These rollershave fixed th reto intermeshing cog wheels 37 and 38 and the upperrolleris provided with a crank handle 39 projecting from the front wallof the cabinet as is shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 4t so that the turningof this handle will operate through the cogs to turn both rollers 35 and36 for a purpose now to be described. An endless absorbent apron orlining 41 is mounted on these rollers, the upper stretch of the apronpassing over the top roller and the lower stretch between the rollers 35and 36 so that when said rollers are rotated .one stretch of the apronwill move in one direction and the other in the opposite direction. Thisapron 4E1 also passes over rods as 42 mounted at opposite sides of thecabinet as is shown clearly in Figs. 3 and l and the opposite ends ofthe apron depend into the tank 24 at opposite sides of the cabinet andare engaged with rollers, not shown, similar to those over which theapron 31 passes.

The rollers 35 and 36 are provided with a plurality of radiating pins orspurs 40 which are designed to penetrate the apron and take hold thereofto insure the movement of the apron on the turning of the rollers.

An apron, 43, similar to the apron 31 is arranged at the back of thecabinet and ex tends over rollers 44 and 45 located respectively at thetop of the cabinet and the bottom of the tank at the rear thereof as isshown clearly in Fig. l.

The door 27 is preferably provided with an ordinary catch 27 for holdingit in closed position.

The operation of this cabinet is the same as that shown in Figs. 1 and2, except that endless aprons are employed in this form of theinvention, instead of the single members used in the other form.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of themethod of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the artto which the invention appertains and while I have described theprinciple of operation of the invention together with the device which Inow consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have itunderstood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that suchchanges may be made as are within the scope of the claimed invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an iceless refrigerator, a cabinet having a ventilating opening, awater tank arranged around said cabinet, a roller extending transverselyacross the top of the cabinet and through one wall thereof, a handle onsaid end, liquid absorbent lining suspended over said roller, saidlining dipping into said tank and movable by the turning of said rollerto vary its position in the cabinet.

2. In an iceless refrigerator, a cabinet closed air-tight except at itsbottom, a water tank arranged around said bottom, a roller extendingtransversely across the top of said cabinet and extending through onewall thereof, a handle on said end, pins radiating from said roller, aliquid absorbent lining suspended over said roller and engaged by saidpins, said lining dipping into said tank and movable by the turning ofsaid roller to vary its position in the cabinet.

3. In iceless refrigerator, a cabinet closed air-tight except at itsbottom, a water ank arranged around said cabinet at its ower end andopening at its top within said nbinet. parallel rollers extending transersely across the top of the cabinet one hove he other and havingradiating spurs, internieshing cogs carried by said rollers, means forurning one of said rollers whereby the other is rotated, and an endlessapron having the stretches thereof, one passing over the top roller andthe other between the rollers, rollers in the tank at opposite sides ofthe cabinet around which said apron passes.

an iceless refrigerator, a cabinet, a

water tank arranged around said cabinet at its lower end and opening atits top within said cabinet, parallel rollers extending trans verselyacross the top of the cabinet, intermeshing cogs carried by saidrollers, means for turning one of said rollers whereby the other isrotated, and bibulous mate rial supported by said roller and movable onthe turning thereof.

In an iceless refrigerator, a cabinet, a water tank arranged around saidcabinet at its lower end and opening at its top within said cabinet,said cabinet having a ventilating opening, parallel rollers extendingtransversely across the top of the cabinet, intermeshing cogs carried bysaid rollers, means for turning one of said rollers, whereby the otheris rotated, a bibulous material supported by said roller and movable onthe turning thereof, and rollers in the tank at opposite sides of thecabinet with which said material is engaged.

6. In an iceless refrigerator, a cabinet having a ventilating opening, awater tank arranged around said cabinet, a roller extending across thetop of said cabinet, a liquid absorbent lining suspended over saidroller and dippin into said tank, means for turning said roller to varythe position of the lining in the cabinet, a door for said cabinet, abibulous lining on the inner face of said door, and a tank into whichsaid lining dips.

7. In an iceless refrigerator, a cabinet havin a ventilating opening, aWater tank arranged around said casing, a roller ex tending across thetop of said cabinet, a liquid absorbent lining suspended over saidroller and dipping into said tank, means for turning said roller to varythe posiion of the lining in the cabinet, a door hinged to opendownwardly, rollers mounted one on the door and one in the tank, and anendless apron of bibulous material passing over said rollers.

S. In an iceless refrigerator, a cablnet having a ventilating opening, awater tank arranged around said casing, a roller extending across thetop of said cabinet, a liquid absorbent lining suspended over saidroller and dipping into said tank, means for turning said roller to varythe position of the lining in the cabinet, a door hinged to opendownwardly, rollers mounted one on tl e door and one in the tank, one ofsaid rollers being vertically movable, and an endless apron of bibulousmaterial passing over said rollers.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY M. TARRAS. Witnesses ROBERT J. GASKIN, J. D. KENOHEL.

